Three cheers for Legoland

At most theme parks the focus is on thrills with death-defying rides that shock your system and make you scream. Legoland is based on a different premise. At this amusement park in Carlsbad, one hour south of Anaheim, the emphasis is on simple child pleasures: building, imagining, jumping, running, playing, laughing. The park is also aimed at a somewhat younger audience. Toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, children in elementary school–they’ll have a ball here. At least this is what my 4-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter found on our recent visit.

We spent a day at Legoland as part of a train trip over spring break. We hopped off Amtrak in San Juan Capistrano and then rented a car and drove 20 minutes to Legoland. (You could also get off the train in Oceanside and take a bus or taxi cab to the park.) After a difficult day at Disneyland (some of you may have read my grumpy blog posts; I apologize if I whined too much!), my kids and I were excited to give Legoland a try. We ended up having a great time and here are three reasons why:

In the Imagination Zone at Legoland.

1) Kids can get creative. The Imagination Zone was our favorite spot in the park. It’s where you can get elbow deep in Legos and the bigger Duplos that toddlers can more easily handle. We built a village with houses, gardens, sidewalks, and people. While my kids snapped away, I hunted down the right colored bricks in bins scattered about the room. We worked in harmony for some two hours–until my son started stealing the green blocks my daughter was using to create a backyard for her house. I brought him over to the “shake table” where you can test the strength of your buildings in an “earthquake.” My son’s sky-scraper, which was taller than him, toppled to the ground in seconds.

2) The rides aren’t scary. There are few rides in Legoland that tower above you or zoom past you. You won’t hear children screaming at the top of their lungs. At Legoland, the rides are lower to the ground and quieter. They’re outside in the bright sunlight–no creepy indoor spaces here. For my kids, this was a huge relief because they typically find amusement park rides “way too scary.” The Lego horses simply make a circle around some trees but my two kids whooped with glee on the ride. Explore Village, a glorified playground with slides, mini houses, and climbing structures, was another hit. Also, many of the attractions are actually “kid powered.” On the Kid Power Tower, for example, riders hoist themselves up with a pulley system before a brief, exciting free fall back down.

3) The shows are silly. Legoland shows are known for their slapstick comedy. My kids were laughing hysterically at the “The Big Test” show, which features lots of acrobatics and spraying water as a ragtag fire department tries to pass its fire-fighting test. The instructor invites the crowd to help and shout, “Put the wet stuff on the hot stuff!”

Have you been to Legoland? What did you like or not like about the park?